“You’ve done well, staying by my lord’s side and protecting him,” he said. “I know this was sudden for you, so I don’t doubt that you went through a fair bit of trouble.”
“I-It was no trouble at all,” Yusurika stammered.
She was taken aback, not expecting to receive praise, and though she started off clumsily, she managed to pay him a respectful bow. The butler then turned to Norn, who shuddered at his gaze and hid behind Yusurika. Carlos knit his brow ever so slightly.
“Is she...” he started.
“Indeed,” Lofus replied. “We’ve found her. We’ll return her to Roguebert and head back home.”
A wave of drowsiness washed over the boy, and he suppressed a yawn as he replied. Carlos didn’t look so cheerful. He quietly turned his gaze to the ground.
“I would advise against that,” he muttered.
“Why not?” Lofus demanded.
“I think we should send her to the church first.”
The butler wouldn’t mince words. Norn was clearly afraid of a man’s gaze, a trait that was commonly shared among most women who were taken in as slaves; they developed an extreme phobia or fear of men. The damage was so extreme it could prove a detriment to their daily life as well. It wasn’t difficult to imagine the torture and abuse these women had gone through after being sold off as slaves.
Almost all such cases required some sort of treatment and immediate medical attention for the injuries they’d sustained from their cruel, inhumane treatment. Needless to say, both physical and mental healing was needed, and so the rescued slaves were always sent to the church to recuperate for a while. Norn’s physical wounds had been healed by Yusurika, but she was clearly mentally unstable and still psychologically tormented by everything that had happened to her; that much was obvious to Carlos.
Lofus sharply gazed at Norn. “So he says.”
Oddly enough, Norn didn’t seem to be terrified of Lofus. Perhaps it was because he was her savior, or maybe it was due to him still being a child. It could also have been a combination of these factors, but the result was that she could speak with him normally.
Norn gritted her teeth before she turned to Lofus with determination.
“I want to go home,” she said. “I want to go home to Roguebert. I want to meet everyone who’s waiting for me. I want to meet Fol again.”
Her words came out clumsily, but she made her intentions clear. Lofus grinned at her, then turned to his butler.
“You hear that, Carlos?” he asked. “This girl isn’t a slave anymore; she’s just a person now. Surely, then, she should choose as she sees fit. If she wishes to return to Roguebert, that’s what we’ll do.”
Carlos’s eyes widened, his eyes darting between Norn and Lofus. Though Norn clearly held some deep-seated fear of men, she was powerful at her core, and her eyes held a fiery resolve that wouldn’t waver; one would’ve never imagined that she was once a slave. The butler narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. Did something happen during her journey here? Or was she told something? Yusurika, though adept at healing magic, could only treat physical ailments, not mental ones. Psychological pain could only be treated with time and patience. Norn might not have fully overcome her trauma and mental anguish, but she made it clear that she wanted to move on, to take a step forward.
There must’ve been something that had triggered this change in her. It was highly unlikely that someone as proud as Lofus would try to empathize with a mentally tormented commoner, and Yusurika likely held her tongue as a member of the Dark Knights. What happened here? Carlos wondered, but no answer came. The best he could do for now was offer a shrug.
“Very well,” he said. “If that is what you wish, I’ve no reason to say anything more.”
He quietly gazed at the floor once more while Lofus glanced around him.
“Carlos?” he asked. “Where’s the carriage?”
“It’s prepared for you at the foot of the mountains,” Carlos replied. “Will you not visit Roguebert?”
Lofus walked ahead, his tone weary as though he found speaking troublesome. “Of course not. I’ve done everything that I need to.”
His tone was firm, but Carlos decided to push back a bit more.
“If you would for a moment, my lord,” the butler called. “Won’t you meet with Lady Faltiana?”
“Why are you bringing her up?” Lofus asked. “What are you trying to say?”
He knit his brow while Carlos turned to Norn.
“She must be Lady Faltiana’s friend,” the butler said. “I find it best that you personally bring her there.”
“I don’t have to do that,” Lofus replied. “And why do you keep adding honorifics to her name? She’s just a commoner.”
The boy frowned with displeasure, insisting that a commoner wasn’t worthy of that much respect, but Carlos casually dropped a bombshell.
“Well, she is a candidate to be your future wife, my lord,” he said.
At once, Lofus turned frigid. “What?”
Yusurika and Norn clapped a hand over their mouths as Carlos gently continued, “You seemed to be awfully fond of her.”
“Did I, now?” Lofus spat. “If so, I suggest you get your eyes checked.”
He flashed a look of exasperation before walking ahead to the carriage that was ready for him.
“Please, my lord!” Carlos said, refusing to budge. “What in the world happened?! You even attended the banquet just last night...”
“I said I’m done here,” Lofus replied. “I doubt I’ll ever come back here again.”
“Lord Lofus!”
But the boy ignored his butler, keeping his back to him as he stomped away and ordered his Dark Knight around.
“Yusurika!” he barked. “Take Norn back to her home!”
“Y-Yessir!” she stammered.
She’d been standing in astonishment by the turn of events, but immediately gave a swift bow of agreement. Norn anxiously gazed at Lofus’s back but wisely stayed silent, sensing this perilous situation.
“Lord Lofus?” Carlos murmured as he stood there, watching his master board the carriage alone.
The butler was frankly shocked by this change in behavior. Why in the world was Lofus so staunchly against this? Why? What did I do wrong? Did my joke of taking her for his wife touch a nerve? Unfortunately for Carlos, he couldn’t find an answer. He felt like Fol and Lofus had a good thing going on—they seemed rather close and friendly. At the very least, in all his years, Carlos had never seen Lofus allow another person to speak to him so casually. Sure, he offered a bit of resistance at her affection as any child his age would do toward the opposite sex, but he didn’t outright reject her.
Yet Lofus now emanated an air of utter disgust and anger, as though he didn’t even wish to look at her. Had something occurred in Stelia? Or did he realize that their social ranks were far too different? No answer would come to the butler, but Carlos was actually quite happy with the changes that Lofus had undergone over these past few days. Until now, the boy had been all alone. He didn’t particularly get along with his parents and brother, and ever since he was ten, he’d left the main manor to live in a villa.
It was there that he became more selfish and elitist, proud of his birth and upbringing and placing himself above others. Lofus was born with a seemingly limitless amount of mana, and he was a genius when it came to magic. He was born with great power, and no one could match him. But finally, though through a series of unfortunate events, he miraculously found a peer—someone he could call an equal—in a commoner.
Lofus would deny it, and though he always acted thorny when he spoke with Fol, it genuinely seemed like he was having fun. It was a side he’d never shown to his family or even Carlos—it was an expression of joy. Carlos gently pressed a hand against his eyes before he let out a quiet sigh and turned to the ladies.
“Yusurika, was it?” he asked quietly.
“Y-Yessir,” the knight replied. “That’s me.”
She turned stiff and braced herself, but Carlos merely lowered his head elegantly.
“I understand that you have received an order from my lord, and I’m terribly sorry to take it from you, but please let me take this lady to Roguebert,” he said.
“Huh?” Yusurika asked. “Uh, but...”
“Truth be told, I haven’t told the people of Roguebert about the rescued slaves. I imagine that many of them are worried, and I’d like to explain what occurred to the residents as I return her home. Could you kindly look after my lord in my stead?”
“S-Sure...”
Yusurika struggled to respond. She’d received a direct order from Lofus, and going against it, even if it was by Carlos’s request, would imply that she delegated her work to someone else. She feared that she’d be in for quite the scolding, but Carlos, perhaps realizing her hesitation, smiled.
“You need not worry,” he said. “If you tell him that you acted under my orders, you will have nothing to fear.”
“If you say so...” Yusurika said. “Very well. I understand.”
Mere moments ago, she had been shown the strong bond and trust between the two men, and she nodded. Carlos knelt in front of an anxious and scared Norn, and lowered his head humbly.
“Huh? U-Um...” Norn started. She looked troubled, but made no attempt to approach the man, and Carlos kept his head low.
“My name is Carlos, and I serve as Lord Lofus’s butler. I understand how confused and scared you must be by this switch, but I assure you that I will safely bring you back to Roguebert and will take full responsibility for everything along the way. I know that this might make you feel upset or uncomfortable, but please, I beg of you to allow my old bones to be with you for just a short while.”
His humility and calm tone made Norn relax just a hair.
“You’re Lofus’s...butler?” she asked. “I’m sorry for being so scared of you. I’m... I’m okay now.”
She did her best to form an awkward smile as though to tell him that all was well. She’s a powerful lady... The butler took two more steps back and swiftly led the way to Roguebert, with Norn following him.
Yusurika headed for the carriage to chase after Lofus.